138 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA 



Naturalist, Vol V.) Common summer resident at Toronto, Ont. ; 

 breeds. (/. H. Fleming.) A regular summer resident in southern 

 Ontario. (Mcllwraith.) Accidental in Manitoba. (E. T. Seton.) 

 One specimen taken at Crane lake, Sask., in June, 1894, by Mr. W. 

 Spreadborough. 



Breeding Notes. — ^At Hamilton bay, Ontario, it is a regular 

 summer resident, raising its young in the most retired parts of the 

 marsh. The nest is large for the size of the bird, a platform being 

 made for its support by bending down the flags till they cross each 

 other a foot or more above the water-level. The whole affair is 

 very loose and readily falls asunder at the close of the season. (Mc- 

 Ilwraith.) The little bittern breeds in Ashbridge bay, Toronto, 

 and lays five eggs. (Raine.) A nest of the least bittern with eggs 

 in it was found by Dr. F. A. Saunders in the summer of 1902 in the 

 marsh at the Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ont. {W. T. Macoun.) 

 A bird that is met with sparingly in suitable places near the St. 

 Lawrence; for example, at Escott pond, Leeds co., Ont.; the 

 neighbourhood of Gananoque lake, and around Kingston, Ont. 

 It is not a regular visitant; some years scarcely one is noticed, for 

 this bird makes its presence evident by its peculiar call. The nest 

 is hard to find. I found one at the first-mentioned place, the 9th 

 June, 1892. It was built amongst a very thick growth of last year's 

 flags, about eighteen inches above the water, supported by the 

 matted vegetation and formed of the dead flag leaves, but quite dry. 

 It contained at that date six bluish-white eggs, quite fresh. (Rev. 

 C. J. Young.) Not uncommon in all the large marshes in south- 

 western Ontario and an abundant breeder in some of them. {W. 

 Saunders.) 



191.1. Cory Least Bittern. 



Ardetta neoxena Cory. 1886. 



Sixteen of this interesting bittern have been taken at Toronto 

 (about two-thirds of the known specimens), between May i8th, 

 1890 and Sept. 8th, 1899. These dates are the earliest and latest. 

 The young have been taken from August 3rd to 1 7th. All the birds 

 have been taken in a comparatively small extent of marsh in Ash- 

 bridge bay. For a list of Toronto records see The Auk, Vol. XIII, 

 p. 1 1 and Vol. XIX, p. 77. The nest is described as simply a mass 

 of last year's reeds. (/. H. Fleming.) 



